Kangaroo plague hits south-west Queensland

South-west Queensland councils are calling for help to fight a kangaroo plague. They want the Federal and State Government to help reinstate the trade deal with Russia to help reduce kangaroo numbers and bring money into the drought-stricken region.

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PETER LLOYD: It might be our national symbol but kangaroos are becoming a pest of plague proportions in south-west Queensland.

The region was once a hub for kangaroo meat exports to Russia before a contamination scare prompted a ban.

Now local councils want the trade deal reinstated, as Stephanie Smail reports.

STEPHANIE SMAIL: Locals say the kangaroo numbers are so huge in Queensland's south-west it's common to see more than 100 travelling in a mob.

Lindsay Godfrey is the Mayor of the Paroo Shire. He says the kangaroo plague is compounding the region's parched conditions.

LINDSAY GODFREY: It's put most of south-west Queensland into a drought much sooner than what would normally be the case. Just the sheer numbers of roos mean the kangaroo numbers are dwarfing the actual livestock grazing pressure to the point where all animals in the whole ecosystem out here are suffering enormously.

STEPHANIE SMAIL: Lindsay Godfrey remembers the days when kangaroo meat from south-east Queensland was in high demand in Russia.

He wants State and Federal Government help to kick-start the industry again.

LINDSAY GODFREY: When the roo works were working here back in the 80s and the early 90s that was virtually a boom time for these towns like Cunnamulla and St George and Charleville. It circulates a huge amount of money around through all these struggling western towns. And I can think of no greater example of how to revitalise these towns than to rebuild this roo industry, especially if the processing's done in a regional sense.

LINDSAY GODFREY: We currently have three abattoirs that are kangaroo based in the south-west region out here that are not being used. One is state of the art, it's only quite new, in Charleville, that isn't killing roos. The other two are in Cunnamulla and St George, and between the three of them they have a substantial capacity. And we, of course, have the supply.

STEPHANIE SMAIL: A spokesman for Queensland's Agriculture Minister, John McVeigh, admits getting the trade back up and running would be an enormous boost for the region.

He says the State Government wants to help but the Federal Government is in charge of leading negotiations.

Lindsay Godfrey sees government investment as the only way forward.

He says private business won't invest in the kangaroo industry alone because they're worried animal welfare groups could interrupt demand.

LINDSAY GODFREY: If you cast your mind back some years, kangaroo products were used in running shoes and there were almighty programs run across the globe to stop people using kangaroo products in their footwear or anything else because of the so-called impact that the animal welfare lobby was saying that we were having on kangaroo numbers.

In the wool industry we've been through the same situation with mulesing, with a whole range of effects. This is no new thing for agriculture to have to fight.

STEPHANIE SMAIL: In a statement, the Federal Agriculture Minister, Barnaby Joyce, says he recognises the impact the ban on trade in kangaroo meat has had on rural and regional Australia.

He says the Government is using every opportunity to encourage Russia to increase the number of processors approved to export there.

Lindsay Godfrey says he and other mayors from the region will continue to lobby the State and Federal Governments until they start seeing results.